Look, nobody is happy about the current state of new consoles and their availability. While the hunt for a good deal is something we’re all about, having to search just to find a normal, full-price product is a whole lot less fun. That’s why we are always doing our best to help you score a new console whenever the chance arises, and today is no different.
Target’s online listings for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have just gone live, which means there is a narrow window to order one this morning. The PlayStation 5 is available in the standard $499.99 flavor with a disc drive as well as the Digital Edition for $399.99. The Xbox Series X is also available for its usual $499.99. The listings show sold out to start, but the early bird (hopefully) gets the worm so be prepared to hit refresh. Target usually populates its stock of consoles for local store pickup within the hour of the pages going live, and the ones with the most persistence are usually the ones rewarded.
Be sure to log in to your Target account in advance, with all your account info — billing and shipping — sorted ahead of time. You might also want to consider trying both a desktop browser and Target’s mobile app at the same time. Target often bases their console sales around in-store pickup, so it helps to set your favorite store near you, though be prepared to widen your search to more stores if the availability dwindles.
If you’re out of luck on this one, be sure to stay tuned to Verge Deals for more info on future console restocks, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for your regularly scheduled tech deal savings.
Huawei is no stranger to foldable mobile devices and had released three over the past few years: The Mate X, Mate Xs and the Mate X2, which is the most recent model launched in February. All of those are similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold in that they're devices that fold vertically and are the size of a small tablet when unfolded. Recently, however, Huawei has started teasing a foldable phone that's more akin to the Samsung Galaxy Flip, and a fashion shoot published by Harper's Bazaar China has revealed what the device looks like.
The model, called Huawei P50 Pocket, is prominently featured in a pictorial with Chinese actress and singer Guan Xiaotong. It looks fairly large, based on the photos posted on Weibo, with a circular external display that can show the time, notifications and a view of what you're capturing with the camera if the phone is flipped shut. P50 Pocket's external display is right next to the camera, and according to Engadget Chinese, its fingerprint reader is located along the edges of the device. The version in the Harper's Bazaar photoshoot is gold with some sort of leafy pattern, but Huawei's teaser shows that it will also come in a silver variant with a diamond plaid pattern.
Huawei will officially unveil the P50 Pocket on December 23rd.
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LG is developing three new standalone displays that may end up being for Apple, including one based on the current 24-inch iMac, one based on the upcoming 27-inch iMac, and a 32-inch model that may be a new Pro Display XDR with an Apple silicon chip, according to Twitter account @dylandkt, who has a mostly accurate track record with Apple-related rumors.
In a Twitter thread, the leaker said the displays are currently encased in unbranded enclosures, but he believes the displays might be for Apple given that they have similar specifications as iMac and Pro Display XDR models.
🧵Thread 1/4: There are three LG made Displays encased in unbranded enclosures for usage as external monitors that are in early development. Two of which have the same specifications as the upcoming 27 inch and current 24 inch iMac displays. — Dylan (@dylandkt) December 15, 2021
The leaker added that the 27-inch and 32-inch displays seem to have mini-LED displays with a 120Hz variable refresh rate for ProMotion, and he said the 32-inch display appears to be equipped with an unspecified Apple silicon chip.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to report that Apple was working on a consumer-level standalone display that is more affordable than the $4,999 Pro Display XDR, and if today's information proves to be accurate, the display could be available in both 24-inch and 27-inch sizes. These would be the first Apple-branded consumer-level external displays since Apple stopped selling the Thunderbolt Display in 2016.
Most of the information shared by @dylandkt today lines up with previous rumors from display industry analyst Ross Young, who just this week said that Apple is planning to release a new 27-inch iMac with a mini-LED display in the first half of 2022. 9to5Mac also reported that Apple was working on a new Pro Display XDR with an A13 chip.
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Apple is planning to introduce a new 27-inch iMac in early 2022, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young. This information comes from both Young's tweets and additional details that he shared with MacRumors. Young told MacRumors that the 27-inch display for the iMac will feature mini-LED backlighting, which likely means that it will have XDR branding. Young tweeted that...
After over a year of rumors about a larger, high-end iMac model with Apple silicon, it seems that the 27-inch iMac may not be disappearing in the way that some observers expected. Earlier this year, the reliable leaker known as "L0vetodream" said that the rumored high-end iMac model set to replace the current 27-inch model will feature a larger display. Apple already gave the entry-level...
Apple's next-generation larger-screened "iMac Pro" is expected to launch next spring, according to a forward looking article on Apple's upcoming devices penned by display analyst Ross Young. Young says that the new iMac is "expected in the spring," with spring in the Northern Hemisphere starting on March 20 and ending on June 21. Apple often holds an event in the spring, so we could perhaps...
Saturday October 30, 2021 10:27 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Apple has quietly discontinued the Intel-based 21.5-inch iMac, which had remained available as a low-end configuration suitable for educational institutions. This leaves customers with the 24-inch and 27-inch iMac models to choose from. A single 21.5-inch iMac configuration remained part of the iMac lineup following Apple's "Unleashed" event last week, but Apple has confirmed it is being...
Amid rumors about Apple's custom-designed modem for its 2023 iPhone lineup, a new report today suggested that the display panels destined for these models could put substantial pressure on LG Display's market share. According to research by UBI, seen by The Elec, BOE is converting three of its factories into facilities capable of manufacturing OLED panels for Apple. Until now, BOE has manufac...
The high-end iPhone 14 Pro models launching in 2022 are expected to have a hole-punch display, according to Korean website The Elec. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to feature the upgraded display, which will do away with the notch used in the current iPhone models. The hole-punch cutout will allow Apple to provide a larger display area while still...
Users who have been eagerly anticipating the launch of a larger iMac with a powerful Apple silicon chip may be in for disappointment, as the machine now looks to be delayed into next year. The leaker known as "Dylandkt" has claimed that Apple's "high end iMac" will not be released in the fourth quarter of 2021 alongside Apple's "M1X Macs," a reference to Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro...
Apple will finally begin removing the notch from the iPhone starting in 2022 with the iPhone 14 Pro, according to recent reports. Last week, Korean website The Elec reported that the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature a hole-punch display design, much like those seen on some high-end Android devices, instead of the notch. The notch, which Apple calls...
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Check out the latest Apple deals available at Best Buy, where you will find up to $800 savings on select MacBook Pro models and more Apple devices on sale
According to inside sources, Samsung might not be able to produce enough chipsets of the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and Qualcomm might want TSMC to step in and help out to meet demand
Oppo has announced the Air Glass, an AR device that’ll go on sale early next year. Oppo describes the Air Glass as an “assisted reality” product, as opposed to augmented reality, meaning it projects 2D information into your field of view rather than overlaying 3D objects onto the real world. (Yes, sort of like Google Glass.)
The Air Glass has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 processor and weighs just 30g (about 1oz) in total. Oppo says it should last for 3 hours of active usage and 40 hours on standby. There are two frame designs, a silver half-frame and a black full-frame, and each is available in two sizes. The inside of the frame has a magnetic port that allows it to be attached to more conventional glasses.
The waveguide display uses a tiny projector with Micro LED tech capable of up to 3 million nits peak brightness, though Oppo says the actual brightness will be up to 1,400 nits in average conditions. It can be operated via touch, voice, hand tracking, and head tracking, as well as through a Smart Glass app on a smartphone running Oppo’s ColorOS 11 or above.
Oppo’s proposed use cases for the Air Glass are relatively modest. The company says it can be used for notifications and directions, as you’d expect, as well as features like teleprompting and real-time translation. The display is monochrome with either 16 or 256 levels of grayscale depending on the mode, so the Air Glass isn’t going to be beaming rich content into your eyes.
That said, it probably isn’t going to be a mature, mainstream product, either. Oppo says the Air Glass will receive a “limited release” in Q1 2022, and at least at first it’ll be only sold in mainland China.
The Air Glass was announced as part of Oppo’s ongoing annual Inno Day event. Oppo also revealed its first in-house NPU chip to boost machine learning-related imaging performance; it’s called the MariSilicon X and will feature in Oppo’s next Find X flagship in the first quarter of next year. Last week Oppo confirmed the debut of its first folding phone, the Find N, though that hasn’t broken cover just yet.
Sony will finally let PlayStation 5 owners have something other than a white console, officially. New console covers in multiple colors — Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Nova Pink, Starlight Blue, and Galactic Purple — will go on sale in January, letting PS5 owners customize the console in fun, long-overdue ways.
That color customization will cost $54.99, and Sony says PS5 owners can “simply remove your original white PS5 console covers and click your new ones into place.” The company did not announce plans to sell the PS5 with those new colors out of the box — it’s an add-on for now.
And while Sony already sells the DualSense controller in Midnight Black and Cosmic Red, it will release three new colorways of the PS5 controller to match its new console covers. Nova Pink, Starlight Blue, and Galactic Purple DualSense controllers will also go on sale in January.
Sony’s new console covers for PlayStation 5 cost $54.99 each, and are currently available for pre-order in Midnight Black and Cosmic Red. PS5 owners should keep in mind that the covers for the standard PS5 and the Digital Edition PS5 are different products, and should shop accordingly.
More details, including when those new colorful accessories will ship internationally, are available at Sony’s PlayStation Blog.
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the U.S., the combined sales of Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model systems hit 1.13 million in the month of November, powering up Nintendo Switch as the best-selling video game console of that month. For the important holiday-shopping week of Thanksgiving, which includes Black Friday, Nintendo Switch was also the top-selling video game console, with nearly 550,000 systems sold. With November logged in the record books, Nintendo Switch has now been the top-selling video game console for 35 out of the last 36 months.
“With a wide-ranging library of games and three options to choose from between Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, the Nintendo Switch family of systems offers something for everyone this holiday season,” said Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser. “As we head into 2022 and the sixth year of Nintendo Switch, the system continues to see strong demand. We look forward to even more people adding Nintendo Switch to their households!”
Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model can both be played on the TV or instantly taken on the go, while Nintendo Switch Lite is a dedicated handheld system, perfect for players who love playing portably. All of these options in the Nintendo Switch family give shoppers the choice of a system that best fits their gaming lifestyle.
Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit https://www.nintendo.com/switch/.
About Nintendo: Nintendo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, has created franchises that have become household names worldwide, including Mario™, Donkey Kong™, The Legend of Zelda™, Metroid™, Pokémon™, Animal Crossing™, Pikmin™ and Splatoon™, through its integrated hardware and software products. Nintendo aims to deliver unique, intuitive entertainment experiences for everyone, manufacturing and marketing video game devices such as the Nintendo Switch™ family of systems, developing and operating applications for smart devices, and collaborating with partners on a range of other entertainment initiatives like visual content and theme parks. Nintendo has sold more than 5.1 billion video games and over 800 million hardware units globally. From the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System™ more than 30 years ago, through today and into the future, Nintendo’s continuing mission is to create unique entertainment that puts smiles on the faces of people all over the world. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/.
Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at https://press.nintendo.com, a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please register on the site.
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FILE PHOTO; View of an advertisement for mobile game "Uma Musume" in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, Japan August 26, 2021. Picture taken August 26, 2021. REUTERS/Sam Nussey
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TOKYO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - When an ageing racehorse, Makahiki, broke records by winning his first race in five years in Kyoto in early October, Japanese social media was flooded with comments from an unlikely group of racing enthusiasts: gamers.
The online outpouring was the latest sign of boundary-spanning for "Uma Musume Pretty Derby", the Japanese mobile gaming industry's first runaway hit in a decade. The game has found a niche by bridging the historically disparate subcultures of horse racing and women pop stars known as "idols."
Players train and race female characters dressed in school- and military-inspired costumes, with the addition of horse ears and tails. Race winners perform a pop concert.
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The results have been unequivocally spectacular: since it was released in February, the game has generated hundreds of millions of dollars for its creator, Cygames, and the developer's parent, online ad agency CyberAgent (4751.T), making it one of the world's top-grossing mobile games despite its Japan-only release. At times its user base has rivalled megahits such as Tencent's (0700.HK) "Honor of Kings".
"I was planning to buy a car but figured I don't really need one and, since I have savings, why not put all my effort into 'Uma Musume'?" said Daiki Minakawa, 25, a software engineer who has spent more than 2 million yen ($18,000) in-game. "I can't buy a car anymore but I don't have any regrets."
The breakout success of "Uma Musume" - which translates to "horse girls" - is a shot in the arm for Japan developers, whose mobile market share has been eroded by an influx of increasingly polished Chinese titles.
"Gacha," a common mechanic in Japanese titles in which real-world money is used to win special items and power-up characters, is what has made the game so lucrative.
Although "Uma Musume" is free, many users spend on gacha - similar to "loot boxes" in Western games - to collect characters and advance.
Yohei Tatsumi, 36, a labour and social security attorney, plays in moments of down time and spends 10,000 yen-20,000 yen monthly on the title.
"I have no plans to stop," he said.
LED BY GAMERS
Cygames' assault on gamers' wallets began with the 2018 launch of an "Uma Musume" animated show, which quickly became a hit.
When the game arrived in 2021, industry observers said it was unusually polished for a free-to-play mobile title.
"A lot of leaders in mobile game companies have no connection to the game industry," said Serkan Toto, founder of the Kantan Games consultancy. "It's different with Cygames; this company is led by gamers."
Cygames and CyberAgent declined interview requests.
The success is all the more notable as gaming firms such as DeNA and Nintendo, which both have stakes in Cygames, have struggled to launch mobile hits.
Japan's mobile market is dominated by three ageing titles: Mixi's "Monster Strike", GungHo's "Puzzle & Dragons" and "Fate/Grand Order" from Sony's music division.
Gamers say that "Uma Musume" is pulling them, and their spending, away from those products.
Profit at the gaming unit of CyberAgent tripled to 96.4 billion yen ($840 million) in the year ended September, although it slipped in the fourth quarter.
The firm declined to make a forecast for the financial year, citing uncertainty over gaming performance.
But the game continues to spill over into the real world, with voice artists from the show this month performing at a Tokyo racetrack in costume, with horses running behind them.
High-spending users say they remain committed.
"I'm doing gacha with love. It's for love. I'm saying 'thank you' to Cygames for giving birth to 'Uma Musume,'" Minakawa said.
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You'll need to create a free Microsoft account before you download Windows 11.
Microsoft
To set up Windows 11 Home, you'll need a Microsoft account, which gives you access to Microsoft products and services. Don't worry -- it's free to create one.
In the past, it was possible to opt out of creating a Microsoft account and use a local one instead (though the process wasn't intuitive). It appears that with Windows 11, you will need to create a Microsoft account to get started. After that point, you can delete your Microsoft account and sign in with a local account if you'd like, and this won't impact how you use the OS -- but you won't be able to sync content across multiple devices. A Microsoft account also allows easier transferring from your old PC to a new one, and more options for signing in.
Windows 11 Pro and the version built for enterprise use will not require people to sign in to Microsoft accounts.
Here's how to create a free Microsoft account as Windows 11 rolls out:
2. Tap Create one to make a new account. (If you already have an account, you can sign in here.)
3. Enter your email address. Or, if you'd rather create a new email address through Microsoft (which will appear as @outlook.com), click Get a new email address, enter what you'd like, and click Next.
4. Create a password, and click Next.
5. Enter your country/region and date of birth, and click Next.
6. Check your email for a verification code, and click Next.
Connect to the internet
You need to have an internet connection to set up Windows 11.
Sarah Tew/CNET
To download Windows 11 Home (and to create a Microsoft account), you'll also need to be connected to the internet. The reason for this is that Windows 11 will primarily be delivered as a Windows Update, much like newer versions of Windows 10 have been.
You'll also need the internet to perform future updates and to take advantage of some of the new Windows 11 features, according to Microsoft.
This requirement may pose a problem for those who lack easy internet access. However, after you connect for the initial setup, you don't have to connect again if you don't want to (though you should to get important security updates that prevent vulnerabilities).
If you're downloading Windows 11 on your current computer, just make sure you're connected to the internet before you start the process. If you buy a new Windows 11 computer after the OS is generally released, you should be prompted to connect to the internet when you're setting it up.
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